Smart selfie mirror

ABSTRACT

A smart selfie mirror includes a mirror, a lighting source, a camera, and a user interface for operating the lighting source and the camera. The mirror can be used to position oneself in a desired position relative to the camera. The lighting source may be used to provide illumination for purposes of using the mirror and to provide additional light when using the camera. The camera can be used to take a picture or record a video of oneself. In some embodiments, the smart selfie mirror includes a wireless transceiver for receiving commands from and sending data to a connected mobile device or the Internet.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of and claims the benefits ofand priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/459,532, filed onMar. 15, 2017, and entitled “SMART SELFIE MIRROR”, which application isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to mirrors used to assist persons intaking a “selfie,” and more particularly to a smart selfie mirror.

BACKGROUND

The rapid proliferation of mobile phones equipped with one or morecameras, together with the widespread use of social media, has givenrise to the “selfie”—a photograph taken by oneself of oneself. Selfiesare often taken with either the forward-facing or the backward-facingcamera of a mobile phone. When the forward-facing camera is used, thescreen of the mobile phone is visible to the user and serves as aviewfinder, allowing the user to adjust the position of the mobile phoneto capture the desired photograph. When the backward-facing camera isused, the screen of the mobile phone is not visible to the user, suchthat the user can only point and shoot, using trial and error to obtainthe desired photograph. Selfie sticks—extendible poles, to one end ofwhich a mobile phone or other camera may be attached—have gainedpopularity as an accessory for taking selfies, as they allow the mobilephone (or other camera) to be held at greater than arm's length from theuser, and thus allow the user to capture a wider field of view in theselfie.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure recognizes the difficulty in capturing aphotograph of oneself by oneself, the awkwardness of attempting to takea picture of oneself with one arm fully extended to hold and operate acamera (whether in a mobile phone or not), and the poor quality of manyselfies due to these and other shortcomings of available selfieequipment.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a smart selfiemirror includes: a mirror; a camera; a lighting source; a processor; anda memory, the memory storing instructions for execution by the processorthat, when executed, cause the processor to receive a command toactivate the camera, and to activate the camera. Activating the cameramay correspond to one of taking a photograph and recording a video. Thelighting source may include at least one light-emitting diode. The smartselfie mirror may further include a user interface for controllingoperation of the camera or the lighting source. The smart selfie mirrormay further include a USB port. The smart selfie mirror may furtherinclude a wireless transceiver. The command to activate the camera maybe received via the wireless transceiver. The memory may storeadditional instructions for execution by the processor that, whenexecuted further cause the processor to establish, via the wirelesstransceiver, a wireless connection with the cloud; and upload at leastone of a photograph and a video to the cloud. The memory may also storeadditional instructions for execution by the processor that, whenexecuted, further cause the processor to receive, via the wirelesstransceiver, a command to adjust one of an intensity and a wavelength oflight emitted by the lighting source. The memory may further storeadditional instructions for execution by the processor that, whenexecuted, further cause the processor to transmit, via the wirelesstransceiver, data corresponding to one of a photograph and a videocaptured by the camera.

A smart mirror for taking selfies according to another embodiment of thepresent disclosure includes a base; a telescoping support; a mirroradjustably attached to the telescoping support; a camera positionedadjacent the mirror; an LED light source; and a user interface foroperating the camera and the LED light source. The smart mirror of claim11 may further comprise a wireless transceiver; a processor; and amemory, the memory storing instructions for execution by the processorthat, when executed, cause the processor to establish a connection viathe wireless transceiver. The memory may store additional instructionsfor execution by the processor that, when executed by the processor,cause the processor to receive, via the wireless transceiver, a command;and execute the command. The command may be one of a command to activatethe camera or a command to adjust one of an intensity and a wavelengthof light outputted by the LED light source. In some embodiments, themirror can be panned, tilted, swiveled, and rotated relative to thebase. The LED lighting source may at least partially surround themirror. The memory may also store additional instructions for executionby the processor that, when executed by the processor, cause theprocessor to transmit, via the wireless transceiver, data correspondingto at least one image captured by the camera.

According to still another embodiment of the present disclosure, asystem for taking selfies may include a smart selfie mirror including abase; a mirror connected to the base; a camera positioned adjacent themirror; an LED light source; a first processor; a first wirelesstransceiver; and a user interface for operating the camera and the LEDlight source. The system may further include a mobile device including asecond processor; a second wireless transceiver; and a memory storinginstructions for execution by the second processor that, when executed,cause the second processor to establish a wireless connection with thesmart selfie mirror via the first and second wireless transceivers; andtransmit a command to the smart selfie mirror via the wirelessconnection. The command may relate to one of operation of the camera andoperation of the LED light source. The command may additionally oralternatively cause the smart selfie mirror to transmit a live videostream via the first wireless transceiver.

The terms “memory,” “computer-readable medium” and “computer-readablememory” are used interchangeably and, as used herein, refer to anytangible storage and/or transmission medium that participate inproviding instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium maytake many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media,volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, forexample, NVRAM, or magnetic or optical disks. Volatile media includesdynamic memory, such as main memory. Common forms of computer-readablemedia include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk,magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, aCD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any otherphysical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, aFLASH-EPROM, a solid state medium like a memory card, any other memorychip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any othermedium from which a computer can read. A digital file attachment toe-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of archives isconsidered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storagemedium. When the computer-readable medium is configured as a database,it is to be understood that the database may be any type of database,such as relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and/or the like.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include a tangible storagemedium or distribution medium and prior art-recognized equivalents andsuccessor media, in which the software implementations of the presentdisclosure are stored.

The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” are open-endedexpressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. Forexample, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C”, “at leastone of A, B, or C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, “one or more of A, B,or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.When each one of A, B, and C in the above expressions refers to anelement, such as X, Y, and Z, or class of elements, such as X₁-X_(n),Y₁-Y_(m), and Z₁-Z_(o), the phrase is intended to refer to a singleelement selected from X, Y, and Z, a combination of elements selectedfrom the same class (e.g., X₁ and X₂) as well as a combination ofelements selected from two or more classes (e.g., Y₁ and Z_(o)).

The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. Assuch, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can beused interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms“comprising”, “including”, and “having” can be used interchangeably.

The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide anunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is neitheran extensive nor exhaustive overview of the disclosure and its variousaspects, embodiments, and configurations. It is intended neither toidentify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate thescope of the disclosure but to present selected concepts of thedisclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detaileddescription presented below. As will be appreciated, other aspects,embodiments, and configurations of the disclosure are possibleutilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features setforth above or described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are incorporated into and form a part of thespecification to illustrate several examples of the present disclosure.These drawings, together with the description, explain the principles ofthe disclosure. The drawings simply illustrate preferred and alternativeexamples of how the disclosure can be made and used and are not to beconstrued as limiting the disclosure to only the illustrated anddescribed examples. Further features and advantages will become apparentfrom the following, more detailed, description of the various aspects,embodiments, and configurations of the disclosure, as illustrated by thedrawings referenced below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a smart selfie mirror according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is front view of a smart selfie mirror according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a smart selfie mirror communicating with a mobiledevice according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a mobile device app according to stillanother embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before any embodiments of the disclosure are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its applicationto the details of construction and the arrangement of components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Thedisclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or ofbeing carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein ismeant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereofas well as additional items. Further, the present disclosure may useexamples to illustrate one or more aspects thereof. Unless explicitlystated otherwise, the use or listing of one or more examples (which maybe denoted by “for example,” “by way of example,” “e.g.,” “such as,” orsimilar language) is not intended to and does not limit the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a smart selfie mirror 100 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure comprises a processor 104, a mirror108, a camera 112, a wireless transceiver 116, LED lighting 120, a userinterface 124, a USB port 128, a power supply 132, and a memory 136.

The processor 104 may correspond to one or multiple microprocessors thatare contained within a housing of the smart selfie mirror 100. Theprocessor 104 may comprise a Central Processing Unit (CPU) on a singleIntegrated Circuit (IC) or a few IC chips. The processor 104 may be amultipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input,processes the digital data according to instructions stored in itsinternal memory, and provides results as output. The processor 104 mayimplement sequential digital logic as it has internal memory. As withmost known microprocessors, the processor 104 may operate on numbers andsymbols represented in the binary numeral system.

The mirror 108 allows a user of the smart selfie mirror 100 not only tosee her or his reflection, but to position herself or himself (togetherwith any other persons or objects) for a photograph or video taken orrecorded by the camera 112. The mirror 108 may be substantially flat(e.g. a plane mirror), or the mirror 108 may have a radius of curvature(e.g. a concave or convex mirror). In some embodiments, the mirror 108may comprise a substrate with a reflective coating on one side thatserves as a reflecting surface. For example, a thin layer of silver oraluminum may be deposited on one side of a piece of plate glass or ofanother transparent material. One or more other materials may also bedeposited on the substrate to aid in bonding, hardening, and/ordurability. The mirror 108 may be a one-way mirror that reflectsincoming light from one fully illuminated side thereof but does notreflect incoming light from an opposite, dimly illuminated side thereof.The mirror 108 may the same as or similar to a common vanity mirror, andmay be used as a vanity mirror in addition to being used to assist inthe taking of a selfie or other photograph and/or in the recording ofvideo.

Although depicted in FIG. 2 as rectangular in shape, the presentdisclosure encompasses mirrors of other shapes, including mirrors thathave straight edges, mirrors that have curved edges, and mirrors thathave combinations of straight and curved edges. The mirror 108 may be,in some embodiments and by way of example, circular, elliptical,ovoidal, or square. Rectangular mirrors may beneficially be used tomatch the shape of images or videos captured by the camera 112, butaesthetic or other considerations may be better served by using mirrorsof other shapes.

The camera 112 may be positioned along or adjacent a border of themirror 108, or, where the mirror 108 is a one-way mirror, the camera 112may be positioned behind the mirror 108. The camera 112 is a digitalcamera, and may use a CMOS image sensor or a CCD device to captureimages and/or record video. The camera 112 may comprise various featuresknown to those of skill in the art, including for example optical zoom,digital zoom, vignetting, and optical aberration correction. The camera112 may be the same as or similar to a camera used in a mobile device.In some embodiments, the camera 112 may be capable of capturing onlystill photographs, while in other embodiments, the camera 112 may becapable of capturing both still and video images. Manufacturers of suchcameras include, but are not limited to, Toshiba Corp., STMicroelectronics N.V., Sharp Corp., Omnivision Technologies, Inc., andON Semiconductor.

Where the camera 112 is capable of capturing video images, the smartselfie mirror 112 may further comprise a microphone (not shown). Themicrophone may be used to capture audio signals while the camera 112 isrecording video images, so that the resulting video includes sound.

The wireless transceiver 116 comprises hardware that allows the smartselfie mirror 100 to connect with a wireless router and/or with a mobiledevice, such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, or another computingdevice equipped for wireless communications. The wireless transceiver116 may in some embodiments enable the smart selfie mirror 100 to uploadcaptured photographs and/or videos to the cloud (e.g. via a wirelessrouter) for storage and/or sharing, and further enables the smart selfiemirror 100 to post pictures to, or provide a live video stream via, oneor more social media applications. The wireless transceiver 116 mayfurther enable the smart selfie mirror 100 to receive commands from andto transmit data (including images and/or video recordings) to aconnected device. The wireless transceiver 116 may comprise a Wi-Ficard, a Network Interface Card (NIC), a cellular interface (e.g.,antenna, filters, and associated circuitry), an NFC interface, an RFIDinterface, a ZigBee interface, a FeliCa interface, a MiWi interface, aBluetooth interface, a BLE interface, or the like. The wirelesstransceiver 116 may comprise, for example, a transmitter, a receiver,and an antenna, and may comprise software or firmware needed to operatesuch components.

The smart selfie mirror 100 further comprises at least LED lighting 120.“LED” refers to a light emitting diode. The LED lighting 120 maycompletely or partially surround the mirror 108. Additionally oralternatively, the LED lighting 120 may be provided on a base or standthat supports the mirror 108. In some embodiments, the LED lighting 120may comprise a light bar or light strip that outputs a uniform lightintensity along the length thereof, while in other embodiments, the LEDlighting 120 may comprise one or more individual LEDs that serve asindividual and distinguishable light sources.

The LED lighting 120 may have an adjustable intensity, and may becontrollable (e.g. powered on, powered off, adjusted to greater orlesser intensity) via the user interface 124. The LED lighting 120 maybe used to better illuminate, for example, the face of a user who isusing the smart selfie mirror 100 as a vanity mirror (e.g. to applymakeup, to shave). Additionally, in some embodiments, the processor 104may cause the LED lighting 120 to momentarily output light at thehighest available intensity when an image is captured by the camera 112.In such embodiments, the LED lighting 120 serves as a flash for thecamera 112. In other embodiments, the LED lighting 120 may serve as aflash for the camera 112 without involvement of the processor 104. TheLED lighting 120 may comprise a light sensor for measuring or otherwisedetecting ambient light, and may be configured to automatically adjustthe intensity of the light output by the LED lighting 120 based on theinformation received from the light sensor.

In some embodiments, the LED lighting 120 may be configured toselectively output light at different wavelengths, so that the color ofthe light output by the LED lighting 120 may be adjusted. In suchembodiments, the color of the light output by the LED lighting 120 maybe adjustable by the user, while the processor 104 may additionally oralternatively be configured to automatically adjust the output color ofthe LED lighting 120, whether randomly or in some other fashion.

Although depicted and described as comprising LED lighting 120, thesmart selfie mirror 100 may alternatively comprise a different kind oflighting that does not use LEDs. Other lighting types are well known andmay be used with the smart selfie mirror 100.

The user interface 124 may comprise one or more buttons for controllingone or more features or components of the smart selfie mirror 100. Insome embodiments, for example, the user interface 124 may comprise apower button that controls the flow of electricity from the power supply132 to the processor 104, the camera 112, the wireless transceiver 116,and/or other components of the smart selfie mirror 100. The userinterface 124 may further comprise one or more buttons and/or sliderbars for controlling the LED lighting 120, including for turning the LEDlighting 120 on and off, for adjusting the intensity of light output bythe LED lighting 120, and for adjusting the wavelength (and thereforethe color) of the light output by the LED lighting 120. Additionally,the user interface 123 may comprise one or more buttons for causing thecamera 112 to take a picture or a video.

Although the foregoing description refers primarily to buttons, anyinput devices may be used to control the functions of the smart selfiemirror 100, including switches, slider bars, toggles, rocker switches,rotary switches, rheostats, and potentiometers. The user interface 124may comprise a keyboard. Additionally, non-mechanical input devices maybe used instead of or in addition to mechanical devices. For example,the user interface 124 may comprise one or more touchscreens, which maydisplay a plurality of electronic switches or controls.

The user interface 124 may also include, in some embodiments, one ormore output devices. The output devices, which may be screens or lights,for example, may be used to communicate to a user which of a pluralityof options has been selected (e.g. whether the camera 112 is set to takea photograph or record a video) or to otherwise convey information aboutthe settings of one or more components of the smart selfie mirror 100(e.g. the current intensity setting of the LED lighting 120).

The user interface 124 may, in some embodiments, include only controlssufficient to allow a mobile device to connect to the smart selfiemirror 100 (which may be no controls at all, particularly if the mobiledevice connects to the smart selfie mirror 100 via a wired connectionthrough, for example, the USB port 128). An app on the mobile device maythen be used to control the various aspects of the smart selfie mirror100.

The smart selfie mirror 100 may also comprise a USB port 128. The USBport 128 may have one or more functions, including as a power outlet forcharging a mobile device connected thereto; to connect another device tothe smart selfie mirror 100 for purposes of controlling one or morefeatures of the smart selfie mirror 100; and to connect another deviceto the smart selfie mirror 100 for purposes of downloading images and/orvideos taken using the camera 112 from the memory 136 to an externalmemory device (e.g. a memory device of a mobile phone or tablet).Although only one USB port 128 is shown, the smart selfie mirror 100 maycomprise a plurality of USB ports 128. The USB ports 128 may be one ormore of Type A, Type B, Mini-A, Mini-B, Micro-A, and/or Micro-B ports.Additionally or alternatively, the smart selfie mirror 100 may compriseone or more other types of ports, including an HDMI port, a DisplayPort,a DVI Video port, a VGA port, a Firewire port, and an Ethernet port. Insome embodiments, such as embodiments of the smart selfie mirror 100with a camera 112 capable of recording video, the smart selfie mirror100 may further comprise an audio input jack, so that an externalmicrophone, or other audio transducer or audio source, may be connectedto the smart selfie mirror 100 and used to provide audio for a recordedvideo.

The power supply 132 may comprise circuitry for receiving power from anexternal source and accomplishing any signal transformation, conversionor conditioning needed to provide an appropriate power signal to theprocessor 104 and other components of the smart selfie mirror 100.Additionally or alternatively, the power supply 132 may comprise one ormore batteries for supplying needed power to the smart selfie mirror132. Such batteries may be used for normal operation, or such batteriesmay provide backup power (e.g. when power from an external source is notavailable). In embodiments comprising one or more batteries, thebatteries may be removable and replaceable, and/or the batteries may berechargeable. In some embodiments, the smart selfie mirror 100 maycomprise a charging port for recharging rechargeable batteries containedtherein.

The memory 136 may be used to store any electronic data needed foroperation of the smart selfie mirror 100 and/or any electronic datarecorded or received by the smart selfie mirror 100. For example, thememory 128 stores any firmware 140 needed for allowing the processor 104to operate and/or communicate with the various components of the smartselfie mirror 100, as needed; drivers 144 for operating one or more ofthe components of the smart selfie mirror 100; and data storage 148 forstoring pictures, videos, and other information captured by the camera112 or received via the wireless transceiver 116, through the USB port128, or via any other device or component. The memory 136 may correspondto any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium. In someembodiments, the memory 136 may comprise volatile or non-volatile memoryand a controller for the same. Non-limiting examples of memory 136 thatmay be utilized in the smart selfie mirror 100 include RAM, ROM, buffermemory, flash memory, solid-state memory, or variants thereof.

Although FIG. 1 depicts the smart selfie mirror 100 as including memory136, and in particular data storage 148, in addition or as analternative to storing photographs and videos in a data storage 148 ofthe memory 136, the smart selfie mirror 100 may store photographs andvideos in the cloud. Using cloud storage may beneficially reduce thenecessary size and cost of the memory 136, while also allowing thephotographs and videos stored in the cloud to be made available fromanywhere and/or to anyone with an Internet connection.

In some embodiments, the smart selfie mirror 100 may be controllable viavocal commands. In such embodiments, the smart selfie mirror 100 maycomprise a microphone or other audio transducers for receiving suchcommands. In addition, the memory 136 may store a speech recognitionmodule comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor 104,allow the processor 104 to recognize one or more commands received viathe microphone, which commands can then be carried out by the processor104. In some embodiments, for example, a user may be able to utter avocal command to “take a picture,” which the processor 104 will receivevia the microphone, process using the speech recognition module, andexecute by causing the camera 112 to capture an image. In suchembodiments, other features of the smart selfie mirror 100 may also becontrollable by vocal command, including the LED lighting 120.

FIG. 2 depicts one embodiment of a smart selfie mirror 100. Visible inFIG. 2 are the mirror 108, the camera 112, and the LED lighting 120 ofthe smart selfie mirror 100, as well as the user interface 124. The useinterface 124 is provided in a base 204 of the smart selfie mirror 100,which supports the mirror via a support 208. In some embodiments, thesupport 208 is a telescoping support, such that the smart selfie mirror100 can be raised and lowered relative to the base 204. Additionally,the mirror 108 may be mounted to the support 208 with a rotatable mount,so that the mirror 108 can be rotated relative to the support 208. Sucha configuration may beneficially allow a user of the smart selfie mirror100 to capture photographs or record video in a portrait orientation, alandscape orientation, or in any orientation in between. Still further,the mirror 108 may be mounted to the support 208 with a mount thatallows the mirror 108 to be panned, tilted, and/or swiveled relative tothe support 208. In some embodiments, motorized mounts may be used toconnect the mirror 108 to the support 208 that allow the mirror to bepanned and/or tilted and/or rotated and/or swiveled without manualmanipulation of the mirror 108.

Also in some embodiments, the base 204 may comprise a strong magnet forsecuring the smart selfie mirror 100 to a magnetic surface, regardlessof whether the magnetic surface is oriented vertically, horizontally, orat some other angle. The base 204 may also comprise one or moreattachment points for attaching the base to a surface using one or moremechanical fasteners, such as screws, bolts, or nails. As evident fromFIG. 2, the smart selfie mirror 100 may be portable, such that the smartselfie mirror 100 can be moved from one location to another as desiredby a user thereof. When the smart selfie mirror 100 is equipped withbatteries, the smart selfie mirror 100 may be used even in locationswhere power is not otherwise available.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-4, the smart selfie mirror 100 may establish aconnection through the wireless transceiver 116 with a mobile device 300comprising a wireless transceiver. The smart selfie mirror 100 mayadditionally or alternatively establish a connection through thewireless transceiver 116 with the cloud 310 (which connection may be byway of, for example, a wireless router). In other embodiments, themobile device 300 may connect with the smart selfie mirror 100 via theUSB port 128, e.g. using a USB cord. The mobile device 300 may beprovided with an app 400 that allows the user to interface with thesmart selfie mirror 100 over a direct wireless or wired connection usingthe mobile device 300. The app 400 may also enable the user to interfacewith the smart selfie mirror 100 over the Internet via the smart selfiemirror 100's connection with the cloud 310.

The app 400 may comprise, for example, a control module 404, a datamodule 408, and a social media module 412. The control module 404 maycomprise instructions for execution by a processor of the mobile device300 that enable the mobile device 300 to display to a user thereof agraphical user interface for controlling one or more features of thesmart selfie mirror 100. For example, the control module 404 may enablethe user to awaken the smart selfie mirror 100 from a low-power or sleepstate, power on or off and otherwise control the LED lighting 120,adjust the pan and/or tilt and/or rotation of the mirror 108 (where themirror 108 is mounted to the support 208 via one or more motorizedmounts), select between taking photographs and recording video, activatethe camera 112 to take a photograph or record a video, and/or adjust oneor more features of the camera (e.g. zoom in or out).

The data module 408 may comprise instructions for execution by aprocessor of the mobile device 300 that enable the mobile device 300 todownload or otherwise receive, from the smart selfie mirror 100, one ormore pictures or videos (or corresponding data) taken or recorded by thecamera 112. The data module 408 may be configured to automaticallydownload any pictures or videos stored in the memory 136 of the smartselfie mirror 100 upon connection thereto, or the data module 408 may beconfigured to automatically receive any pictures or videos taken orrecorded by the camera 112 as they are taken or recorded. The datamodule 408 may also enable the mobile device 300 to display a livestream from the camera 112 of the smart selfie mirror 112, which lifestream may be recorded or not. The use of such a live stream from thecamera 112 may allow the mobile device 300 to be used as a viewfinderfor the camera 112, so that a user of the smart selfie mirror 100 canverify that he or she (or any other subject(s) to be photographed orvideoed) are properly positioned and oriented relative to the camera112. The data module 408 may further comprise instructions for causingthe processor of the mobile device 300 to display on a screen of themobile device 300 a graphical user interface through which a user of themobile device 300 may access and control the functions of the datamodule 408.

The social media module 412 may comprise instructions for execution by aprocessor of the mobile device 300 that enable the mobile device 300 topost or otherwise provide to one or more social media applications oneor more photographs or videos captured by the camera 112. The socialmedia module 412 may also be configured to enable a live stream from thecamera 112 to be provided as a live stream to a social mediaapplication, thus enabling one or more users of the social mediaapplication to view the live stream remotely. Operation of the socialmedia module 412 as described herein depends upon the ability of themobile device 300 to connect to the Internet, and the mobile device 300may be equipped to access the Internet via a wireless transceiversimilar to the wireless transceiver 116. For example, the mobile device300 may comprise the hardware and software necessary to enable Internetaccess via Wi-Fi, GSM, LTE, 3G, 4G, Bluetooth, or any other network orcellular interface (e.g., antenna, filters, and associated circuitry)that enables or facilitates Internet access by the mobile device 300,whether directly or via a router or other access point. The social mediamodule 412 may further comprise instructions for causing the processorof the mobile device 300 to display on a screen of the mobile device 300a graphical user interface through which a user of the mobile device 300may access and control the functions of the social media module 412.

Embodiments of the smart selfie mirrors described herein may beprovided, for example, in hotels. Such smart selfie mirrors, which maybe permanently installed in a hotel bedroom or bathroom to avoid theftthereof, may allow hotel guests to take selfies or other images orvideos, and to post the selfies or other images or videos to theirsocial media accounts. Smart selfie mirrors may also be useful attourist attractions or in other locations where selfies are commonlytaken.

A number of variations and modifications of the foregoing disclosure canbe used. It would be possible to provide for some features of thedisclosure without providing others.

Although the present disclosure describes components and functionsimplemented in the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations withreference to particular standards and protocols, the aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations are not limited to such standards andprotocols. Other similar standards and protocols not mentioned hereinare in existence and are considered to be included in the presentdisclosure. Moreover, the standards and protocols mentioned herein andother similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein areperiodically superseded by faster or more effective equivalents havingessentially the same functions. Such replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents included in thepresent disclosure.

The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/orconfigurations, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/orapparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, includingvarious aspects, embodiments, configurations embodiments,subcombinations, and/or subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art willunderstand how to make and use the disclosed aspects, embodiments,and/or configurations after understanding the present disclosure. Thepresent disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/orconfigurations, includes providing devices and processes in the absenceof items not depicted and/or described herein or in various aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations hereof, including in the absence ofsuch items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g.,for improving performance, achieving ease and/or reducing cost ofimplementation.

The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustrationand description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosureto the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing DetailedDescription, for example, various features of the disclosure are groupedtogether in one or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations forthe purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The features of the aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure may be combined inalternate aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations other than thosediscussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claims require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a singleforegoing disclosed aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. Thus, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodimentof the disclosure.

Moreover, though the description has included description of one or moreaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations and certain variations andmodifications, other variations, combinations, and modifications arewithin the scope of the disclosure, e.g., as may be within the skill andknowledge of those in the art, after understanding the presentdisclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternativeaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations to the extent permitted,including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures,functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not suchalternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions,ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publiclydedicate any patentable subject matter.

Examples of the processors as described herein may include, but are notlimited to, at least one of Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 800 and 801, Qualcomm®Snapdragon® 610 and 615 with 4G LTE Integration and 64-bit computing,Apple® A7 processor with 64-bit architecture, Apple® M7 motioncoprocessors, Samsung® Exynos® series, the Intel® Core™ family ofprocessors, the Intel® Xeon® family of processors, the Intel® Atom™family of processors, the Intel Itanium® family of processors, Intel®Core® i5-4670K and i7-4770K 22 nm Haswell, Intel® Core® i5-3570K 22 nmIvy Bridge, the AMD® FX™ family of processors, AMD® FX-4300, FX-6300,and FX-8350 32 nm Vishera, AMD® Kaveri processors, Texas Instruments®Jacinto C6000™ automotive infotainment processors, Texas Instruments®OMAP™ automotive-grade mobile processors, ARM® Cortex™-M processors, andARM® Cortex-A and ARM926EJ-S™ processors. A processor as disclosedherein may perform computational functions using any known orfuture-developed standard, instruction set, libraries, and/orarchitecture.

What is claimed is:
 1. A smart selfie mirror comprising: a housingconnected to a telescoping support via a motorized mount, the motorizedmount configured to pan and tilt the housing; a mirror supported by thehousing, the mirror having an outer perimeter; a camera integrated intothe housing, the camera positioned outside of and adjacent to the outerperimeter; a lighting source; a user interface integrated into thehousing, the user interface configured to control operation of at leastone of the camera or the lighting source; a processor; and a memory, thememory storing instructions for execution by the processor that, whenexecuted, cause the processor to: receive a command to activate thecamera; and activate the camera.
 2. The smart selfie mirror of claim 1,wherein activating the camera comprises one of taking a photograph orrecording a video.
 3. The smart selfie mirror of claim 1, wherein thelighting source comprises at least one light-emitting diode.
 4. Thesmart selfie mirror of claim 1, wherein the user interface is at leastone of a touch screen, a plurality of buttons, or a plurality ofsliders.
 5. The smart selfie mirror of claim 1, further comprising a USBport.
 6. The smart selfie mirror of claim 1, further comprising awireless transceiver.
 7. The smart selfie mirror of claim 6, wherein thecommand to activate the camera is received via at least one of the userinterface or the wireless transceiver.
 8. The smart selfie mirror ofclaim 6, wherein the memory stores additional instructions for executionby the processor that, when executed, further cause the processor to:establish, via the wireless transceiver, a wireless connection with acloud; and upload at least one of a photograph or a video to the cloud.9. The smart selfie mirror of claim 6, wherein the memory storesadditional instructions for execution by the processor that, whenexecuted, further cause the processor to: receive, via the wirelesstransceiver, a command to adjust one of an intensity or a wavelength oflight emitted by the lighting source.
 10. The smart selfie mirror ofclaim 6, wherein the memory stores additional instructions for executionby the processor that, when executed, further cause the processor to:transmit, via the wireless transceiver, data corresponding to one of aphotograph or a video captured by the camera.
 11. A smart mirror fortaking selfies, the smart mirror comprising: a housing having a base; atelescoping support extending from the base; a mirror secured to thetelescoping support via a motorized mount configured to pan and tilt themirror relative to the base; a camera positioned adjacent the mirror andintegrated with the housing; an LED light source; and a user interfaceintegrated with the housing, the user interface configured for operatingthe camera and the LED light source.
 12. The smart mirror of claim 11,further comprising: a wireless transceiver; a processor; and a memory,the memory storing instructions for execution by the processor that,when executed, cause the processor to: establish a connection via thewireless transceiver.
 13. The smart mirror of claim 12, wherein thememory stores additional instructions for execution by the processorthat, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive,via the wireless transceiver, a command; and execute the command. 14.The smart mirror of claim 13, wherein the command is one of a command toactivate the camera or a command to adjust one of an intensity or awavelength of light outputted by the LED light source.
 15. The smartmirror of claim 11, wherein the mirror can be swiveled, and rotatedrelative to the base.
 16. The smart mirror of claim 11, wherein the LEDlight source at least partially surrounds the mirror.
 17. The smartmirror of claim 12, wherein the memory stores additional instructionsfor execution by the processor that, when executed by the processor,cause the processor to: transmit, via the wireless transceiver, datacorresponding to at least one image captured by the camera.
 18. A systemfor taking selfies, the system comprising: a smart selfie mirrorcomprising: a housing having a base, the housing connected to atelescoping support via a motorized mount, the motorized mountconfigured to pan and tilt the housing; a mirror connected to the base;a camera positioned adjacent the mirror and integrated with the housing;an LED light source; a first processor; a first wireless transceiver;and a user interface integrated with the housing, the user interfaceconfigured for operating the camera and the LED light source; and amobile device comprising: a second processor; a second wirelesstransceiver; and a memory storing instructions for execution by thesecond processor that, when executed, cause the second processor to:establish a wireless connection with the smart selfie mirror via thefirst and second wireless transceivers; and transmit a command to thesmart selfie mirror via the wireless connection.
 19. The system of claim18, wherein the command relates to one of operation of the camera oroperation of the LED light source.
 20. The system of claim 18, whereinthe command causes the smart selfie mirror to transmit a live videostream via the first wireless transceiver.